It’s late in coming and it triggered a debate, but the New Westminster school board will send a letter to the Ministry of Education calling for byelections to replace fired school boards in Vancouver and the Okanagan.
The motion to write a letter calling for byelections to be held by the end of April 2017 was originally put forward by trustee Kelly Slade-Kerr and tabled at the board’s October meeting.
But not everyone was on board with Slade-Kerr’s motion Tuesday.
Trustee Casey Cook said he would not support “a broad-brush approach,” when the situation in the North Okanagan-Shuswap school district differed greatly from what led up to the firing of the board in Vancouver.
“In abstract, I agree, a board should be in place, but I just don’t see a one-size-fits-all scenario working in this case,” he said.
Cook pointed to a statement released by the district parent advisory council in the North Okanagan-Shuswap on Nov. 9, which said stakeholders in that district were in favour of having the appointed trustee, Mike McKay, continue in his post until the next election cycle in 2018.
Trustee Mary Lalji suggested the time frame outlined in the motion was inadequate and more time might be needed to fix the dysfunction and problems in both embattled districts.
“How can you have an election when they (the appointed trustee) haven’t had any time to do any work?” she asked trustees.
Lalji also questioned how long it took former school district superintendent John Gaiptman to get the previously beleaguered New Westminster school board back on a path to financial wellness.
Trustee Mark Gifford suggested Lalji’s question was part of a “different conversation,” but trustee Jonina Campbell sided with Lalji and said when someone new comes into a district it takes a certain amount of time to fix the problems at hand. She also pointed out the B.C. School Trustees’ Association (BCSTA) and other boards had already sent their own letters in October and November. Campbell called the motion redundant and wondered if the action was even necessary considering the BCSTA’s letter was sent on behalf of all trustees in the province.
Slade-Kerr retorted New West’s letter “underscores the motion made by the BCSTA and what other boards are doing.”
Trustee Michael Ewen, however, was adamant the issue at hand was about the democratic process, something he believes is at risk at the level of school boards. He questioned whether any fractious city councils have ever been fired by the province.
The board is either in favour of democratic elections or not, Ewen said. While he admitted there could be a substantial cost to holding byelections, especially in Vancouver, “that’s the cost of democracy,” Ewen said.
After a flurry of discussion, the motion passed four votes to three.
